NorthEast United FC head coach Khalid Jamil and player Imran Khan addressed the media ahead of their first clash of the year 2022 in the Indian Super League, against Jamshedpur FC at Bambolim this Thursday. Both of them spoke about the team, Jamshedpur FC and much more. Here are the excerpts.
Khalid Jamil spoke about the much-needed recovery that the highlanders enjoyed during the festive season. The team was going through back-to-back games, and they are now playing after almost a ten-day break. He also reflected on facing Jamshedpur.
“After the Mumbai match, we got a good recovery for all the players and talking about this game, yes we are playing against a good team, they have good players, but we have to go for the three points and nothing else. Everybody is ready, and we are prepared, not taking this match lightly; we have to fight and think positively.“
“We are ready to play. We used this gap for recovery because we have played straight matches, we got this time, it was perfect both mentally and physically, and we are prepared for this match,” said the coach.
Talking about the availability of players, Khalid Jamil confirmed that Gani Ahmed is injured, and the rest all looks fine for his side. He also hinted that Gallego’s replacement is on a conclusion as players have been shortlisted, and we will probably be able to hear from the club officially in the next few days.
Imran Khan shared his thoughts on the team.
“Everyone is working hard, recovering well; we are prepared. Let’s see what happens; we are going for the three points.“
Imran spoke about working with Khalid Jamil and he expressed his gratitude to coach Khalid as he says
“He gave me a good opportunity, and he trusts me a lot. I am in this stage of my career because of him. I have improved from last year; I’m still working hard, still learning and improving,” said the 27-year-old.
Coach Khalid spoke about the opponents for the day, Jamshedpur FC who are currently at the sixth position in the points table with three wins.
“Jamshedpur have good Indian and foreign players, and they are doing very good this season; they are a strong team, but we must believe in ourselves and think positively.“
Northeast United are currently at second last position in the league table with just two wins in nine games and talking about motivating the team he said,
“We have good players; they are working hard, that is a good point. They know their situation; I don’t have to say anything. There is no complaint about anything. They know that the results are not favouring us, but the one thing is that we have to work harder.“
Coach also expressed his views on the performance of the Indian players in his team.
“They are waiting for their chances, and those who are getting chances are improving; they have to get more time. All the players work very hard; you see Indian boys like goalkeeper Mirshad, Mashoor, Imran. Lakhra is also doing good, Gurjinder is there, Pragyan, he played the last match, Sehnaj was good, Chhara (Rochharzela), Danmawia and Mapuia also played good. The main thing is that they must get a chance and given confidence, they can do good,”
said the former Indian international.
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